hmmm...how are things going? What a loaded question. My doors are still not painted. Well, the MBR ones are almost done. I have these doors primed. I've now been in my house since 8/04/05, so just over a year. I have had boxes stacked to the ceiling in my children's study and our office. I couldn't stand another day of these boxes in my office with no furniture, so I finally got them out and they are now in my foyer. Shelves are up in the children's study and almost ready to go. I bought new office furniture and am a bit excited about getting it set up. All 30 or so boxes in the foyer are starting to dwindle down now. There are files and books that I have to go through. There is no way I can keep all of this, but I cannot just through these files out. They are from two businesses, four children, over 20 years in the military, college, and 9 years of home schooling, etc. Most of these boxes have been in storage for over 8 years. My DR still has 8 doors almost finished for my MBR. It's too hot to paint here in Florida and way too humid, so I have my DR floor covered up so I paint inside. DH and I don't like it, but we don't have much choice. I'm glad you wrote because I am going to do a weekly goal sheet. I love lists anyway! This is my goal that by next week the MBR doors will be done and installed. Hopefully, I'll start on the kitchen doors after that to finish fine sanding, priming, and then paint. It's overwhelming....I have no help to speak of either. Add to all of this the fact that I do the high school band web site, news emails, and volunteer. And my mother has been sick, a close friend is dying of brain cancer, mother had surgery yesterday...and OH>>> an almost 21 year old and a 26 year old still living at home...along with my 13 & 14 year old kiddos. The 20 year old registered for college and left a note for Dad to pay. Then she took off for Virginia for a week with her brother and did not tell us until she was packing. Dad refused to pay the college bill and she's already missed her first classes this week. She has medical issues herself and will have no medical insurance if she is not enrolled full time in college after November. She doesn't care. Darling Hubby is fed up. I'm fed up. My kiddos are slap spoiled rotten and it's all my doing. The 26 year old made the President's list in college this last term and wouldn't even share his grades. He's been belligerent and distant since he came home from Iraq. They pay no rent and seem irritated and angry at me if I don't do more for them. Seeing no cabinet doors still makes me feel like a huge failure in all areas of my life. I'm irritated and overweight. I honestly do so much for everyone and it's not enough. How do I stop? I need help even writing a new mission statement. I think it should start with: Help my man-child and woman-child pack their bags and take away their house keys. You know what? I just smiled for the first time in a week! I might be on to something! :D You know, I haven't said much here because I haven't had much good to say. I'm really going to try to focus on getting the doors done as soon as I wade through these boxes. I kid you not, I'm thinking of just burning these files. I've already ruined a shredder. I hate paperwork. The only 'good' thing is they're all organized. I'll keep you posted.

For me to order new doors, the company charged me almost $2,000 for 34 doors when I had some of the cabinets modified. When Cabfiascoguy ordered these doors, he only PAID $2,000 for ALL the doors because his company got a huge discount. I just WISH the Judge had asked me what I think is fair. I just WISH the Judge wasn't a lazy, milquetoast, milksop, candy a$$ and showed some courage. He didn't DISCERN CRAP. My 14 year old son said that the Judge restated the OBVIOUS and judged nothing fairly. JUSTICE, in our country today, is NOT FAIR. I know this. You know this. It's just the way it is. Just so you know, the remaining $7,250 from the balance was GONE, SPENT within the first two months to pay for the LABOR OF: uninstallation, reinstallation of modified cabinets, redoing all of the crown molding (labor), measuring and ordering new doors. This did NOT cover any prepping of the location to paint on site, the stripping of ALL of the cabinet boxes, sanding of the doors the second time they were painted, the glazing, the products/paints/supplies, or the Painting labor. And let's not forget the WOOD bill for redoing 5" crown and rope molding. Also, NONE of these charges alone included modifications to my HOOD or master bedroom TV Cabinet! OR having to have the granite template guy return twice and redo the templates because the first time was when we found out our cabinet bases were not anchored to the FLOOR! ALL, and I mean ALL of the labor was piecemealed out. Many different hands were in this pie. WHY? NO ONE wanted to end up in court of to take on this job. I was so upset, I can see why no one wanted to help me. After the sixth guy turned us down, knowing this would end up in court, I cried. I couldn't hold it back. That is how I found out how to get the job done. I couldn't even get an estimate in writing from one person. Not to re-try this, know that it was AFTER the second painter finished that the doors turned green. Why? No primer from the FIRST GUY!!!! ALL doors turned key lime GREEN!!!!!!! THESE had to be stripped and repainted, which has not been completed OR PAID for. I had someone to repaint them the third time, but has now gone on to work for a company and can't do them. The next most REASONABLE BID FOR PAINTING ONLY THE DOORS: is $6,800. This does not count glazing and reinstallation of the doors. I can't find a company, and the LORD knows I've tried, to paint my doors the color I need....and that I can afford. Please, please, tell me if you know of someone. I'm in NE Florida. And just for giggles, let's not forget the court costs, legal fees, anger management classes my husband attended, homestudy bill, and other miscellaneous charges. I could have ordered the TOP of the line Omega cabinets for what we've now invested for these shoddy cabinets. OH, by the way, I still need two drawer boxes modified. The drawers won't close because the boxes aren't square. I have legitimate receipts for $10,000 and ADDITIONAL $24,000, not counting finishing. You think I don't feel shafted and like a fool? I HATE this rage I feel. I hate this bitterness I have. And believe me, my husband is bitter towards me because I chose this guy. $34,000 down the line and I don't have this mess resolved. It's NOT just the kitchen: it's my master bedroom, too. I live in a large area, but our little home town atmosphere is small. The judge lives within a mile of my home. I WILL run into that judge somewhere or at a party. I've learned we know some of the same people. I WILL see him again, I am sure. I just don't know what I'll do at that time. I know this, it ain't gonna be sweet nothings I whisper in his ear the next time I see him.

Growing up together means knowing each other since childhood, regardless of where anyone lived. It is much different than becoming stepsiblings as teens. I am sure that is is possible for DS15 and SD16 to have undesirable feelings toward each other since they just met 3 years ago. They get along like gangbusters, ususally. They each dislike the other's BP, so this gives them something in common! (I know for a fact that SD16 has her eyes on older and faster boys-not to mention boys of a different ethnic background; and DS15 likes much calmer, quieter and sweeter girls... but I digress.) It is how they would act upon those feelings that would be distressing to me and DH. If two kids have known each other since they were 5 and 10 years old, call each other brother or sister, and each of them has age-appropriate girls/boys to be interested in, how can anyone think they are any more likely to be attracted to each other? I think I know the answer: This is all a sick mind projecting its own thoughts onto normal peoples' situations. Grow up.

That's such a hard question to answer. Of course, you are the person who will use the kitchen most and you are the person who has the vision. But you want your family to enjoy it too. You just have to balance that out in your own mind. ....which, of course, is not an answer. Maddening, I know. Are they understanding your vision and rejecting it? Or are they not seeing it in their mind's eye and rejecting what they think it will be? Have you shown them the pictures that sold you on the idea? I had one of those esoteric visions in my head for my kitchen. It's small and narrow and I wanted two different colors -- one on one side and one on the other. And I wanted a different color for the breakfast area and pantry. Every single person to whom I described it said, "Isn't 3 colors too much?". Without exception. The cabinet maker had to do 5 sets of drawings to get it all right and then still was only willing to do one color and door option at a time. My GC confessed to me when it was all over that he thought I was nuts and creating a disaster until he saw it come together. Now that it's done, everyone really likes it. My family is crazy about it. They just couldn't see it when I described it. OTOH, even though my husband was supportive all along and said it was my choice, if it hadn't worked, I would have been miserable knowing I was the only one who wanted it that way. Take pictures of your layout and use tracing paper to draw your modifications. Go get several large-size copies made. Color them in so everyone has a clear idea what you're talking about, what they want, what compromises are possible. It just comes down to the painful process of decisions and consequence. The more concrete you can make abstract ideas now, the more the consequences will be wonderful and comfortable for all. Good luck!